When It All Changed
by MBP
Summary: They worked in New York City... so of course the day that changed NYC would be the day that changed them. This could be upsetting if you're not ready to read about it. It is also now in the present tense.
1. Natalie

Disclaimer: Don't own Sports Night.

A/N: Sensitive material, I know… but it's the only way I could finally write it out.

It is a crisp Tuesday morning, and it has never felt more like fall. It is the kind of day where it seems like nothing could possibly go wrong, and Dan gets to work at 8 am. It is early, but he is determined to actually get something accomplished before Casey or anyone else shows up and distracts him with what they think of as their oh-so-witty banter.

He hasn't been there long when he is stunned to see Natalie racing through the empty newsroom and straight into his office. Before he can even say hello, she blurts:

"Danny, turn on the T.V."

He is about to ask why when he notices the look on her face and realizes this isn't the time for questions.

As he turns it on, he starts to ask "What chan…" and the words die on his lips. There is no need to ask. It is everywhere.

As footage of fire and debris fill the screen, Danny glances outside his window and realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that the skyline is suddenly different… suddenly brought down to human size… and that the clear blue sky is suddenly filled with more white than he's ever imagined possible in all his years of staring at clouds. He slowly shifts his gaze back to the television where he sees reporters with their masks of objectivity gone, replaced by fear and sadness. And then he remembers that Natalie is still there, sitting beside him, also staring at the screen.

He turns to her slowly, not even sure if he should speak, but she solves this dilemma fairly quickly, suddenly throwing herself into his arms, sobbing harder than he'd have imagined possible, considering that just a moment earlier, she'd been sitting in shock, silent. He hugs her to him, rubbing her back, but having nothing to say. What can he say? That things are going to be ok? They aren't. That she shouldn't worry? She should. He just holds her until she calms down, momentarily grateful for the fact that at least they are still alone in the office. He knows that will change. Even if this is a time when people will be rushing to be with their families, he _knows_ Casey, Dana, Jeremy, and Isaac will be there soon. Because they _are _each other's families. And even though he doesn't know what to think or feel, he does know one thing. He wants to see them.


	2. Dana

Disclaimer: I don't own Sports Night.

Danny and Natalie are sitting on the couch transfixed by the horrific images on the television when they both become aware of footsteps rushing through the newsroom. They turn slowly to see Dana frantically bursting into the office. She stops short when she sees both of them there and suddenly seems to be at a loss for words.

"I – I …" She pauses, unsure of how to continue. She suddenly seems to deflate in the doorway, and her voice comes out in a whisper. "I tried calling both of you. There was – there was no answer. There's no cell phone service. And neither of you were home. And I didn't know…" and her voice suddenly stops. She pushes her forehead into the heel of her hand and shakes her head, trying to clear it of the images that have obviously been tormenting her.

They both just sit and watch her. It is as if they have just shifted their numb, vacant stares from one frightening scene to another. And this is frightening. Dana is always at least able to pretend she has things under control. She isn't even trying to pretend now.

No one moves until Dana whispers, "I didn't know what I would do if either of you had been there." She sniffs, and Natalie blinks. It is the first sound to bring her out of reverie, and she suddenly stands up and walks to Dana, taking her in her arms as the sobs take her. They stand there hugging, Natalie silent but for the tears streaming down her face and Dana shaking with sobs. Dan sits on the couch, staring at the television. He has yet to speak or even acknowledge Dana's presence in the room. He doesn't move until Natalie leads Dana to the couch where he woodenly puts his arm around her as Natalie sits on her other side. Dana's breath comes in shaky sighs as she tries to relax, but the events on the television keep her sniffling until the three of them are aware of another noise.

Jeremy is there.


	3. Jeremy

Disclaimer: I don't own Sports Night.

Jeremy walks through the door of Danny and Casey's office and just stands there, staring at the three on the couch as they stare right back at him. At first, no one speaks. They just watch each other silently as the reporters continue their accounts on the television in the background. Finally, Jeremy says, his voice much lower than usual, "I figured I'd find you all here."

Danny just watches him, trying to figure out what to say. He is still having the same problem of having absolutely no words to speak and no reaction to speak of. He hopes that Dana or Natalie will rescue him again, and he isn't disappointed.

Natalie clears her throat. "When did you find out?" she asks her boyfriend, but Dana feels her pushing herself back against the couch as if to keep as much distance between them as possible. And she thinks she knows why. Natalie has finally started to calm down, and Dana know she is afraid that if she lets herself get pulled into Jeremy's panic, she won't be able to maintain her control. She also knows that this is inevitable, and Natalie is only postponing it. She's right.

"I saw it." He says the words as bluntly as he possibly can but what he isn't saying is equally obvious. He saw it and he's still seeing it. It's in his eyes, the reflection of fire and falling bodies, and he can't escape it. None of them can, but the fire he saw is now being doused by water he can't control.

And Natalie can sit still no longer. As Jeremy turns away, defeated by the images he's seen and the reaction he isn't seeing, she pushes forward with as much force as she'd been pushing back, and suddenly she's in his arms, and he's shaking with silent sobs. Dana watches, her own eyes full of tears, but Danny just sits. Numb.

He still hasn't moved ten minutes later when he realizes that someone else is standing in the doorway. Casey is there, and he's watching him. And Danny can see that he knows.


	4. Casey

Casey is standing in the doorway, taking in the scene for a few minutes before anyone notices he is there. He watches Natalie hug Jeremy, and he sees that Dana is about to crack. He is also the first to see exactly what Danny's problem is. He knows what he needs to do, but he knows that he can't do it yet. Danny is watching him now, and they both know what the other is thinking. And then everyone else looks up.

"Casey!" Dana gasps, and she gets up from her seat on the couch. He opens his arms, and she falls into them, burying her face in his t-shirt. He looks around the room at the rest of them, rubbing her back methodically as she finally starts to calm down. Only his presence would eventually calm her because it would mean he was ok.

The same doesn't necessarily hold true for the rest of them. Jeremy has been unable to calm down since he first lost control, and Casey gently disentangles himself from Dana and walks over to where Jeremy has turned once again to face the window. He puts his hand on his shoulder and squeezes, hoping to let Jeremy know that he understands, that he saw it too, that he knows it's too much to bear and he can't possibly feel badly for the way he is reacting. He's hoping to convey all of this in one touch, and because he has remained silent and hasn't said 'it's going to be ok,' Jeremy seems to understand. He turns slightly and smiles tearfully at Casey before turning back to the window. Natalie, too, smiles at Casey but then puts her arms around her boyfriend again, holding on tightly as if she will never let go. She probably won't. Casey watches them with some sort of happiness… this may be one of the only positive moments of the day. He is trying to appreciate it as much as possible because he knows that what he has to do next will take all of his willpower. He is the only one with the power to get Danny to talk, but he knows what the price of that will be, and he hopes he's up for it.

Taking a deep breath, steeling himself against the inevitable, he walks over to where his silent friend is now sitting alone on the couch, once again seemingly transfixed by the television. He sits down next to him and for a moment, he waits to see if Danny will speak first. When that doesn't happen, though, he turns to him and says quietly, "when did you find out?"

Danny opens his mouth for the first time that morning, but no words come out. Casey can see that he is afraid of what will happen if he starts to talk, so he gives him a little more time. He knows that he is the trigger for Danny and that if he really wants to get him to open up, he can, but he is loathe to do it in front of all of these people. But there is nothing for it. Danny needs to talk. Casey knows he is only hurting himself more with his silence, so he does the only thing he knows that Danny won't be able to resist.

He slides over on the couch and whispers, "I'm so sorry about it, Danny… so sorry." He puts his arm across his shoulders, and Danny stiffens at the contact he did not initiate but now cannot escape. Because he suddenly feels his will crumbling, and he blinks quickly, trying to fight off the tears that have risen without warning. He looks down, shaking his head as if that will stop the emotions he is still not ready to face, but nothing can stop him once he starts, and he does the only thing that seems natural. He turns into Casey's shoulder, and Casey puts both arms around him resignedly as Dana, Jeremy and Natalie suddenly turn toward this very new noise. Danny is crying.


	5. Danny

It takes him a long time to calm down. He feels stupid when he finally does even though he knows he really shouldn't, but he can't help it. He pulls away from Casey and swipes roughly at his eyes with the back of his hand, standing up as he does so. Even though he never wants to let these people out of his sight again, he needs a moment to pull himself together and think about what's just happened.

He stumbles out of the office and into the bathroom, his breath coming in sharply when he sees his reflection in the mirror. The lighting in there doesn't help – it never does – but this is worse than he'd imagined. He knew he'd lost control, but he didn't realize his breakdown had been complete to the point that his eyes were an unmistakable shade of red – as was his nose – and it would take a while for this color to fade back to normal. This is the kind of image he usually associates with his girlfriends … not with himself. He knows why he couldn't help it, though, and Casey does too even if the others don't. He knows he'll have to tell them, but he's still trying to figure out how. There's a creaking sound suddenly, and the bathroom door swings open. Danny smiles inwardly. He knew Casey wouldn't let him be gone that long in this state without feeling the need to check up on him.

He acts, of course, like he'd been coming to the bathroom for himself. He knows how hard this is for Danny to accept, so he pretends he's not overly concerned even though he's only been this concerned about Danny once or twice before in his life. He nods at him briefly, even going into the stall on the pretense of being there to actually _use _the facilities. Danny just turns to face the stall, wondering how far Casey is willing to go in an effort to spare his feelings. When he finally emerges to find Danny waiting, he smiles sheepishly.

"Did I wait too long?" he mutters, joining Danny by the sink to wash his hands.

"Not too bad," Danny replies, surprised to find that his voice sounds almost normal. This is good. Maybe he can even start to believe that things _are _normal. Even if they never will be again.

"So, uh…" Casey tries desperately to think of something safe to say but realizes that now is the time to discuss the real things, no matter how hard they may be. Now's the only time he's had Danny to himself, and he has to find out as much as he can before Danny is able to put back the wall and hide again. "When did you remember about David?" he asks softly.

At the sound of his older brother's name, Danny swallows hard as tears again well up in his eyes, and he turns on the faucet, splashing cold water on his face as he mutters, "My mother called while Natalie and I were watching the footage. She had his flight information, so she knew." His voice catches, and he continues to splash the water, hoping it will cover the sounds of the sobs he can no longer control. "She knew there was no hope, and there was nothing I could say to her. I'm the only one she has left now." He's closed his eyes now, his hands still cupping his face, and he hears the water suddenly stop running, and then Casey is putting a towel into his hands, so he can dry himself off. He wants to pretend he is only wiping away water, but he knows he can't stop the tears that are continuing to stream down his face, so he just throws the towel into the basket and looks at Casey.

"How did you know? How did you even remember?" he asks, his voice shaking as he fights to control the sobs.

"Danny, you told me yesterday. It wasn't so far from my mind that I didn't think of it right away. I just wish you'd told everyone else. They're so worried. They have no idea why that just happened in the office, but I didn't tell them. I didn't think it was my place."

Danny nods, glancing down, but he realizes that he's still fighting a losing battle against even more tears, and Casey knows it. They haven't been friends for this long without knowing exactly what the other one needs at times when they need things most, so Casey steps over to him and opens his arms. As the tears take Danny, Casey stands with him, waiting for this storm to pass. There's still a lot more to be done.


	6. Isaac

Once Danny manages to mostly pull himself back together, he steps back from Casey and lets out a shaky breath. "We have to go back out there, don't we." It's not even a question, but Casey nods anyway.

"Yeah. We do. But Danny… they all love you. They'll all be there for you. You just have to let them. Ok?"

He nods reluctantly but with the knowledge that Casey is right. He knows that he is lucky to have this second family, the one that really does love him unconditionally... not like the one he thought he left behind. He tosses the last crumpled up paper towel into the garbage, rubs his face briskly and looks at Casey.

"So let's go out there."

They walk out of the bathroom and find their way back to the office where everyone is still gathered in front of the television. They all look up when Casey and Dan walk in, and for the first time since Natalie came bursting into the office hours ago, someone turns off the television. There is silence, and Dan just stares at all of them. Finally, Casey clears his throat, and Dan comes out of his trance.

"So…" he starts and then immediately trails off. He turns to Casey with a look of desperation, and Casey steps in, glad to be able to do what he'd been trying to stop himself from doing when they entered the office.

"Guys, I don't know if you remember Danny mentioning this yesterday, but his brother David was flying across country today…" and here he trails off. Not only do the looks on everyone's faces make it clear that saying any more isn't necessary, but Danny has stiffened again at the sound of David's name.

There is silence for a minute until Dana suddenly stands up and walks over to Dan. Without a word, she puts her arms around his neck, and his arms instinctively circle her waist. She holds on tightly until she feels him shudder, and then she starts rubbing his back in small, soothing circles. He buries his face in her shoulder, and she can feel his tears seeping into her hair, but she is afraid to move, afraid he will stop doing what he so clearly needs to be able to do.

When he is finally calmer, he gently disengages his arms, and they both step back, each of them running their hands through their hair, breathing deeply. Casey, Jeremy and Natalie had given them as much privacy as possible by turning on the television again, but when they realize that Dana and Danny have rejoined them, they turn it off, and they all sit facing each other.

Danny is staring at his feet, and no one seems to know where to start, so Casey breaks the silence … but it's with a question and a realization that only spark more panic.

"Has… has anyone heard from Isaac"  
They all stare at each other then, eyes widening with fear. The answer is clear. 


End file.
